Product description

As Good As It Gets [1998]

Price: £6.00
RRP: £12.99
Average customer rating: 4.5

Binding : DVD
EAN : 5035822646131
Label : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Manufacturer : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Publisher : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Release date : 1998-12-21
Title : As Good As It Gets [1998]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Suitable for 15 years and over
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 1998-03-13
Region code : 2
Running time : 133
Studio : Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Theatrical releaseDate : 1997-12-25
Number of discs : 1

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
For all of its conventional plotting about an obsessive-compulsive curmudgeon (Jack Nicholson) who improves his personality at the urging of his gay neighboor (Greg Kinnear) and a waitress (Helen Hunt), who inspires his best behaviour, As Good As It Gets is one of the sharpest Hollywood comedies of the 1990s. Nicholson could play his role in his sleep (the Oscar he won should have gone to Robert Duvall for The Apostle) but his mischievous persona is precisely necessary to give heart to his seemingly heartless character, who is of all things a successful romance novelist. As a single mom with a chronically asthmatic young son, Hunt gives the film its conscience and integrity (along with plenty of wry humoor)and she also won an Oscar for her wonderful performance. Greg Kinnear had to settle for an Oscar nomination (while cowriter-director James L. Brooks was inexplicably snubbed by Oscar that year) but his work was also singled out in the film's near-unanimous chorus of critical praise. It's questionable whether a romance between Hunt and the much older Nicholson is entirely believable but this movie's smart enough--and charmingly funny enough--to make it seem endearingly possible. --Jeff Shannon

Special Features
1.85 Wide Screen
16:9 Wide Screen
DVD 9
German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround English German
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Theatrical Trailer
Filmographies
Directors Commentary
Czech\Danish\English\Finnish\German\Greek\Hebrew\Hindi\Icelandic\Norwegian\Polish\Swedish\Turkish

Synopsis
Acerbic and outwardly despicable pulp novelist Melvin Udall lives in a haze of obsessive-compulsive behaviour patterns, avoiding cracks in the sidewalk and rigidly adhering to his regimen of daily breakfasts in the cafe where harried single mom Carol Connelly is the only waitress he'll accept. But his ordered, hermetic world falls apart when his neighbour, a gay painter, needs a babysitter for his cherished dog--and only his long-time nemesis Melvin will do. Then, when the waitress's son's serious illness keeps her from work, Melvin realizes how much he needs her after all.

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-02-14 rating:

'I should have danced with you'....
This is one of my favourite movies of all time. I harass as many of my friends as possible into watching it (preferably with me so I can have my fix!).
Most American comedies rely on people doing silly/stupid things for their humour as opposed to being witty. 'As good as it gets' aims to address this in my opinion. Most of the humour comes from Jack Nicholson being the scathing, disinhibited (and hence) friendless Melvin.His OCD means he visits the same diner every morning for breakfast where Helen Hunt is a waitress. She is also the only person who will put up with him, always quite happy to tell him to watch it and/or shut it she is Melvin's secret love.
The robbery and assault of Melvin's neighbour serves as the catalyst for change in his life which includes trying to win Carol's affections with some funny faux pas as a result.

This is an utterly brilliant movie. The romance subtle as is some of the humour. There are many layers to what is happening making it more than just a romantic comedy. Defintely deserving of the oscars garnered.

review by: You owe it to yourself to live a little, Harry date: 2008-01-19 rating:

Don't believe the hype!!!
If you take the meaning to be positive(As good as it gets) then you'll be in for something which eluded me??? My take is that it was As good as it gets(in the negative)...I like Nicholson and the premise...but it did nothing for me...totally over-rated.....

review by: date: 2007-11-22 rating:

It does what is says on the wrapper.
A really well executed feel good romantic comedy with excellent performances from the three main characters played by Helen Hunt, Jack Nicholson and Greg Kinnear. The redemption of the loveless Nicholson character is well done from obsessive asocial loner to lovelorn social incompetent. Kinnear is pitch perfect but the Hunt character is my favourite because of the dignity in adversary, and the wet tee shirt scene didn't hurt either.

Well worth the trouble; buy it so you can watch it again.

review by: date: 2007-10-15 rating:

Quite simply 'as good as it gets'
This is a wickedly funny movie, dealing with an illness often reduced to the butt of jokes. It is fitting then that Jack Nicholson's portrayal of Melvin an obsessive compulsive is tragically genuine, yet wonderfully funny in its demonstration of the complete irrationality typical of the disease. Nicholson neither plays the character as a martyr, nor as a completely inhuman being. Rather the facets of his character develop as his love firstly for a dog and then for a woman compromise his insular and restricted lifestyle. The developing relationship between Nicholson and Helen Hunt's Carol is lovely to watch, particularly the growingly evident fact that Melvin the obsessive and Carol the neurotic have more in common with each other than they realise. Furthermore it is a joy to watch the chemistry between Melvin and the dog Verdal. Most evidently this is a movie that demonstrates the important and healing effect human relationships can have on people. It is not dependent on special effects, gimmicks or even conventionally good looking actors, rather it simply relies on an absolutely fantastic, flawless script. Nicholson delivers his lines like no other actor could, enunicating his deliciously shocking reproaches with his own personal charisma. This is probably why the film gets away with some of Melvin's more bigoted attitudes. Also because Melvin insults just about everyone he comes into contact with it is difficult to take his straight talking attitude personally. Rather it should simply be viewed as symptomatic of his illness, and ultimately the joke is on Melvin who can't walk on the cracks in the pavement, or eat with the restaurant cutlery. I can return to this film time and time again and it never fails to make me laugh out loud. It has real heart and depicts a subtle, unusual and genuine romance, that draws out the humanity behind Nicholson's anti-social and critical Melvin. Melvin's character development from his this is 'as good as it gets' attitude, to his realisation that Carol 'makes him want to be a better man', poignantly demonstrates his desire to overcome his illness in order to truely live his life. Jack Nicholson throughly deserved his oscar for his portrayal of the truelly one-off Melvin.

review by: date: 2007-09-01 rating:

Definitely recommended - very funny, very touching
This is a film which could be defined by what it's not. Yes its a rom com, but its far too edgy for that to fit. Its not a chick flick , its an everybody movie. Its a Jack Nicholson film, but its not Jack Nicholson acting by numbers, its Jack Nicholson genuinely giving a complex and compelling performance. The central relationship between Nicholson and the stunningly good Helen Hunt is of course the touching heart of the film, but for me the relationship between Melvin (Nicholson) and his gay neighbour Simon (Greg Kinnear) provides the laugh out loud moments. The chinese soup scene is an absolute killer. Should be part of everybody's DVD collection.

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